Islamabad: Pakistan’s gig economy is contributing an estimated $6.6 billion annually, with 2.36 million individuals, or approximately 2.99% of the employed population, engaged in platform-based work. This workforce, identified through Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics using Labour Force Survey 2024-25 data, includes those who rely on gig work as either their primary employment or a secondary income source.

According to Gilani Research Foundation, the largest segment of these workers, comprising 17.7%, is involved in teaching, primarily through home or online tuition and Qur’an instruction. The selling of goods, accounting for 17.3% of the workforce, often takes place on platforms such as Daraz and Amazon. Taxi services, including Careem and Bykea, employ 16.5% of gig workers, while freelancing, which is smaller than commonly perceived, still emerges as the highest-earning category, with an average monthly income of PKR 75,298.

The workforce is predominantly male (80.4%) and urban (65.7%), with a significant concentration in Punjab (56%). This distribution highlights existing structural disparities in access to income-generating opportunities. Additionally, there is a knowledge gap in distinguishing domestic income from foreign currency earnings for freelancers working on international platforms, an area of concern for Pakistan’s digital export interests.

The data suggests that while the gig economy is substantial, it is characterized more by local teaching and retail activities than the thriving freelance sector often portrayed in media narratives.